EASY RIDER CONQUERS TEXAS 2002 – 2004

For my next post about our time in Texas, I am going to write of my memories of Ange (or easy rider). At this point, she was a product of, a girls school in Edinburgh. They had trained her well. She was now ready for our next move and fully prepared to conquer anything we could come up with. Ange was very much a “free spirit”. If given half a chance, she would have taken up residence in Disneyland and lived happily ever after. She would have been perfect for the late 60’s. And would have made a good fit into the love, peace and flower power years. She could still “hang out” with us old folks from time to time. Her mentor Ron, had not yet fully converted her.

This memory starts with our move from Scotland to take up residence in Texas and to follow our path as nomads. By this time Ange had been up-lifted from schools and friends, 9 times in her short life. She had seen much of the world, even though she didn’t really appreciate the beauty of that lifestyle. The girls, already had a good taste of what it was like to live as gypsies. As I have stated many times, throughout this history of our family, Deysi was our leader and kept the whole thing glued together. I, basically, followed job opportunities, seemingly, at random, leaving Deysi to pick up the pieces and follow with the girls.

The time now came where I had been promoted to a VP position and needed to be in our head office, which was in Houston. For once it happened during the school-break months, so perhaps the disruption was less. Ron was going into her last year of a Master’s program at the University of Edinburg so had decided she needed to stay and complete her degree. I always have the feeling that she was not against our leaving, although her mother was heart broken. Ange had just finished the 11th form in St. George’s private school in Edinburgh. It seemed as if the stars were aligned. We made a July house hunting and scouting trip to Houston.

It was there that we realized that Ange had hit a seam in the education process between Scotland, England, Canada and Texas. What happened was; form 11 completion in Scotland allowed students to start university the next term. In England and Canada, they had to complete the 12th form. In Texas, if you came from Scotland, you were eligible to also enter university with Scottish 11th form completion. So although Ange was qualified to attend University in Scotland and Texas, she could not attend university in England or Canada. It all sounds a little confusing, but it put Ange in a position where she could skip grade 12 in Texas and go straight to University.

Now comes ‘the rub”. Ange was barely 17 years old at this point. She was still only a couple of years from having sobbed uncontrollably, when I told her why some sheep were painted blue, and others pink, while on her way to school one day. See my earlier memory of our times in Scotland. It seemed like she was still too young to be thrust into an American university. We visited a High School in the Woodlands, Texas to discuss the options. There it was decided that it might be better to enrol her in grade 12 in the USA and let her age a bit. Something like a good wine.

Nobody seemed too opposed to the idea. I did not remember Ange protesting too much. She did get one concession from her mom. That was, she would definitely need a new car. Not some second hand piece of crap like we had tried to pawn off on her sister, in Scotland. (Geezus, I might never live that act of generosity down). After looking in the students parking lot and finding it full of BMW’s, Mercedes, big SUV’s and sports cars, it was agreed. I think, that one event, convinced her that she could live with grade 12 in Texas. I might add here, that a new car in Texas, was the same price as a used beater in Scotland. The exchange, at that time was 2:1 USD to Pound Sterling.

So basically, the money Ron saved us by refusing to drive a used car in Scotland, paid for Ange’s new car in the USA. I might also add that I had very few, such wins with the girls in my career. I expect Ron, still feels “cheated”! However, I would say it was a self inflicted wound. That saga, is also part of another memory from Scotland, written about earlier. It still makes me chuckle to this day. Anyway Ange gets a new Honda Civic and off to school she goes.

Man, was she in for a surprise. One of the first things they told her was that she would have to go back to grade 11 and complete High School American History. Was she pissed? you think? Up to that point she had very little exposure to American history, other than a couple of years in Philadelphia and Washington DC, when she was in elementary schools. She did know some Canadian history, some South African history, a little bit about New Zealand history, and high school history of Scotland and the UK. She was not impressed. Being thrown into an American history class with the others who had been studying it for 11 years, hardly ranked as fair to her.

Ange grumbled and complained, but in the end did complete her high school history requirement. I might say, at this point Ol’ Ange probably knew as much history of the world as any high schooler, anywhere. Ange, like everywhere else we lived, quickly made friends and soon there were “high end” cars parked in our driveway many afternoons. I don’t think it could be said that Ange “kicked ass” in grade 12, in Texas. She did just enough, to not give herself too much stress. She was very smart, and did what was required, to meet university entrance requirements. I believe she worked far less in Texas, than she had in Scotland. Or for that matter in most other countries she had studied in.

During this final year of formal schooling, Ange also discovered another roadblock to her educational advancement. In the USA, once you finish grade 12 (or just before you finish it), everyone that wants to continue on to the next level, must take and pass the SAT. Basically this is an exam to determine if anything that you had studied in the last 12 years, had indeed, stuck to you. Say what you will about the US education system, but no where else in the world will you ever be subjected to a harder, more thorough examination. It exposes your very soul and searches out your most hidden learning weaknesses.

I mean, this exam was so tough, that they even had extra classes to help you prepare for it mentally. I am reminded, back in the old days while in South Africa. A time when the national newspaper published a list of high school graduates every year. Along with it a list of the universities the graduates planned to attend. The list of kids planning to attend in the USA took up two full newspaper pages. There were hundreds of them. In September, another list was displayed in the national news, showing those that got accepted to American universities. There may have been 30 names. The rest could not pass the SAT exam. You might say BullShit, however it is the absolute truth.

She passed, and then worked on applications to some colleges in the US. But Ange ultimately decided she would start her university journey, close to home in the Woodlands, Texas. That decision, of course, made her mom very happy. A part of me says, I believe Deysi played the sympathy and loneliness card, in order to influence her choice. The other part says, that it was Ange’s good nature that just couldn’t bear to see her mom sad. Either way, I believe she understood the benefits of living at home, having food and laundry services, gas money and spending money. None of which were going to be in a abundance if she left home. I told you she was smart.

Come High School graduation time, Ange fell into the mentality of my side of the family. She refused to go to the graduation celebrations. “No way, not going to happen, are you kidding me”, and other less than positive responses, were given, to our encouragement. It seems that large celebrations with people we don’t know, never fit well on this side of the family. We did convince her to at least go to the ceremony so we could watch her get her diploma. She did this reluctantly. It was here that I heard her ‘keynote speaker” explain that “even up to the age 30, many students will still not know what to do with their life”. He also said, “don’t worry you are not alone, rather you are the majority”.

I think that one statement defined Ange’s years long quest for an educational “path”. However, there was one thing Ange did concede enthusiastically. She was willing to get into a big SUV, of one of her friends. along with 4 others and go to Miami to celebrate graduation. We never did hear many of the stories about this trip. I guess Ange didn’t feel like sharing. That is the reason this paragraph is so short. She has the same genes as me, so maybe we are better off “not knowing”.

One thing that stayed consistent with Ange, and continued so in Texas, was that she loved the water. As I have stated previously, most of the places we lived overseas, had swimming pools with them, starting when Ange was a baby in California. The girls were like porpoises, they frolicked in the water any chance they had. Our home in Texas had a very private back yard and a great pool. Many, many afternoons were spent in it. I believe if Ange could not live forever in Disneyland, then she could get by, living by a swimming pool, eating bonbons, in the sun. Whenever her sister, and mentor, Ron was at home, they spent hours poolside.

From the time they were little they had developed their own form of play in the pool. It consisted of Ron climbing on Ange’s back and dunking her underwater until the last bubble came out. Ange would then reward her with an ear piercing shriek. Upon which, Ron would laugh hilariously and do it again. In the later years, this very game began to define Ange’s character. One time in Texas, they were engaged in their favorite game. By this time Ange had grown about 4 inches taller than Ron. Deysi happened to be watching them. She was getting frustrated with seeing Ange pushed under and held down.

Desyi goes poolside and says, “Ange you are much bigger than her now, get hold of her, and duck her for a change.” To this Ange says, “no mom I just don’t want to hurt her”. That one statement shows how this free spirit, remains in my memory to this day. I am not saying that she is a pacifist or can be pushed around. I’m just saying that she had, and still has, a very gentle nature. It is not without a bite though, you just don’t want to push the wrong buttons! You could easily get clawed.

It was also about this time that Ange had her fill of my unrelenting pearls of wisdom. I did not realize it at the time, and I know most of you will find it unbelievable, but I was apparently on their case from birth. One day while walking down the street, with Ange a little in front of us, we approached an intersection. Just short of it, Ange turns to me with a blank look on her face, and says very dryly, “I know Dad, DON’T GET MY ASS RUN OVER!” Funny thing was, I was just about to say that very thing. I think she was trying to tell me something. What you think, eh?